THE LAW SOCIETY STRATEGY

Transcription

1 THE LAW SOCIETY STRATEGY

2 >2 > Our strategy

3 Contents Welcome 4 Our strategic aims for the next three years 5 Representing solicitors 6 Promoting solicitors 7 Supporting solicitors 8 Our shared vision for the solicitor profession 9 Our vision 10 Our role 10 Our values 10 How we will work 10 How we will measure success 11 Appendices The economic contribution of the legal profession 12 The future of the legal market 13 Legal services in Dealing with uncertainty and change 14 The Law Society's role 14 How we have developed our strategy 14 >3

4 Welcome Whether you are working in a high street practice, a commercial regional or City firm, an ABS (Alternative Business Structure) or in-house for a private, public or charitable organisation, the Law Society exists to support you throughout your career. We represent, promote and support solicitors; publicising their unique role in providing legal advice, ensuring justice for all and upholding the rule of law. To do this as well as we can for a rapidly evolving profession, we know that the Law Society also has to evolve and change. Our commitment to put members at the heart of what we do is the basis for our new strategy. We developed this strategy from listening to our members across England and Wales, and across all parts of the profession. Our focus on our members will run through everything we do and will drive and inform our activities for the next three years. For example, we know members want us to develop quality legal training, support excellence in advocacy, and promote equality, diversity, inclusion and social mobility across the profession. We have committed to all of these. We will be at the forefront of changes in legal service delivery, informing our members about the opportunities as well as challenges so that they can make the best choices. We will promote England and Wales as the jurisdiction of choice, and the significant benefits our members within the legal sector bring to the economy. We will explain why people should choose the services of a solicitor for their personal and business needs, and in doing so, promote trust in the solicitor brand to the public, clients and to the profession, reminding ourselves of the things that make us proud of being a solicitor, like our ethical values, and our role as officers of the court and upholders of the rule of law. We will ensure that we represent solicitors on issues of critical importance to the profession including the value of independence, the importance of legal professional privilege and the need to ensure everyone has access to justice. Finally, we will develop a range of services, products, guidance and support relevant to our members diverse needs. Aims alone are not enough, and so we have produced a more detailed plan to accompany this strategy, outlining what we will do for the next three years. Change is a fact of life for our members and for the Law Society. The changes we are making to how we work can in turn help our members to anticipate, prepare for and respond to future changes. This will help solicitors remain competitive and able to take advantage of opportunities. Catherine Dixon Chief executive Jonathan Smithers President Robert Bourns Vice president Joe Egan Deputy vice president >4

5 Our strategic aims for the next three years We know that to deliver our vision for the profession, we must stay committed to and focused on delivering our strategic aims. Everything we do must help us represent, promote and support solicitors and ensure justice for all. >5

6 > Aim 1: Representing solicitors We will represent solicitors by speaking out for justice and on legal issues. By being recognised as the authoritative and knowledgeable voice of solicitors and the legal profession, we will speak to those with a key role in shaping our legal system. We will seek to ensure that we are listened to by governments in England and Wales and internationally. We will raise awareness of the role of solicitors and the importance of fair and proportionate regulation, an independent legal profession and justice for all. >6

7 > Aim 2: Promoting solicitors We will promote the value of using a solicitor at home and abroad. We are proud of the profession and will celebrate what it means to be a solicitor. We will promote the benefits of using solicitors to the public and to business. We will positively differentiate solicitors from other providers of legal services, whether the services are provided by a law firm or through a solicitor working in-house. We will promote the law of England and Wales as the jurisdiction of choice and the value that legal services bring to the economy. We will encourage the best candidates to join the profession regardless of their background, and highlight the significant contribution solicitors make. >7

8 > Aim 3: Supporting solicitors We will support solicitors to develop their expertise and their businesses, irrespective of whether they work for themselves, in-house or for a law firm. We will be at the forefront of identifying issues and market trends that may affect solicitors, helping them to prepare for the future. By providing accessible, relevant and high quality education and training, we will support our members' career development. This will enable our members to innovate and compete in changing markets, differentiating themselves from other providers of legal services while raising professional and ethical standards. We will help members who want to expand internationally by opening up new legal markets as well as identifying opportunities in the domestic market. We will target information, products and services where they are most needed. By building our understanding of the roles, career stage, priorities and specialism of each of our members, we will respond to their diverse and individual needs. >8

9 Our shared vision for the solicitor profession We want to support our members to be: Proud of our diverse profession, ethical values, independence, and the importance we all place on access to justice, the rule of law, human rights, professional privilege, service to the public and business. Equipped to respond to the changing legislative, technological and economic environment. Able to demonstrate their collective value to the economy at home and internationally. Able to work in fulfilling roles that make the best use of their skills, knowledge and experience. Able to balance their own needs as their career and personal lives develop. Valued for the role they play in helping clients at crucial points in their personal and business lives. Committed to promoting equality, diversity, inclusion and social mobility in the profession, enabling the best people to become solicitors and flourish regardless of their background. Committed to the wider community and supporting corporate social responsibility. To achieve this, we will work on behalf of our members with the public, business and with government and other policymakers and stakeholders, at home and abroad, to ensure that: Choose to trust a solicitor over others to solve their legal problems. Understand the value of seeking the help of a solicitor early. Value the contributions solicitors can make to organisations whether advice is provided by a law firm or by employed solicitors. Governments and other stakeholders: Protect and support everyone s access to justice, ensuring no-one is above the law. Value and support the role of solicitors in providing access to justice for everyone and supporting the rule of law. Protect access to legal services through legal aid and promote the importance of legal aid in upholding the rule of law. Listen to the profession and the Law Society when considering legislative change and law reform, being seen as a source of expertise. Understand the value of the legal sector to the economy, and the importance of solicitors within it. Promote England and Wales as the jurisdiction of choice. Reduce the regulatory burden on solicitors while ensuring the public are protected. Understand the importance of an independent legal profession and judiciary. The public and business: Understand how important the justice system is to society, on a par with public services such as health and education. Know the importance of the law in sustaining a free, just and fair world for everyone. Understand the rule of law, the legal process and the role the legal profession plays in upholding the rule of law throughout the world. Understand the value a solicitor can add in helping them navigate their way through our legal system to achieve the best outcome for them. >9

10 Our vision We want to be valued and trusted as a vital partner to represent, promote and support solicitors while upholding the rule of law, legal independence, ethical values, and the principle of justice for all. Our role The Law Society exists to represent, promote and support all solicitors, so they in turn can help their clients. We also work to ensure that no-one is above the law and to protect everyone s right to have access to justice. We promote England and Wales as the jurisdiction of choice and the vital role legal services play in our economy. We work internationally to open up markets to our members and to defend human rights while supporting our members with opportunities in the domestic market. The Law Society helps our current and future members by: Providing support, advice and guidance on areas of practice and management, tailored to members individual needs. Supporting equality, diversity and inclusion within the legal profession, enabling and encouraging the best people to join regardless of their background. Campaigning on legal issues of importance to our members and the public. Acting as the approved regulator for solicitors, ensuring regulation is fair and proportionate while protecting the public. Over 133,000 solicitors practise in England and Wales. They play an essential role, helping people throughout their lives. Whether clients are buying a house or writing a will, recovering compensation for an injury or defending an allegation of wrongdoing, solicitors offer support, guidance and expert advice. Solicitors also support and advise businesses of all kinds, from start-ups to major international companies, and from central and local government to charities. Solicitors deliver legal services through law firms or by working as a trusted employee within the organisation. Individuals earn the title solicitor through a dedicated commitment to legal education, training and development. They meet high professional and ethical standards, and hold comprehensive insurance and a practising certificate which enables them to provide a wide range of advice and services to protect the interests of their clients. The Law Society Council governs our work, with Council members elected to represent members from England and Wales, including different demographic groups and parts of the profession. We harness the knowledge and experience of our Council members and around 300 volunteer board and committee members to deliver the advice, support and services our members want. And we continually listen and respond to our members, so we can be sure we are meeting their needs. Our values Everything we do is driven by our values which are to be member focused, to always act with respect and to work collaboratively. We are committed to demonstrating these values in our dayto-day decision making, through our behaviour and through how we measure success. How we will work We want to maintain a strong focus on delivering our three strategic aims. This means having a clear plan for the next three years, supported by annual business plans and strong performance management. It also means constantly listening to our members, and promoting an open and collaborative culture among and between our staff, our elected members on our Council and those who serve on our committees and boards. This means making sure our members always get value for money, both from their practising certificate fees, and when they pay for our products and services. We will be: Comprehensively reviewing our governance arrangements to ensure that our members are effectively represented and that the governance arrangements support the delivery of our strategy. >10

11 Developing a supportive culture to ensure that we will live our values. We will work efficiently, effectively and collaboratively with our staff, our elected members on the Council, and those who serve on our committees and boards to deliver our strategic aims. By doing this, we will deliver value for money to our members. This will be supported by: Developing a people strategy to ensure that our organisation has the right structure and our people have the right skills and support to deliver our strategy. Ensuring that we make informed decisions through detailed financial planning and risk management. How we will measure success Our approach to delivering this strategy includes having detailed outcomes and measures for the next three years, and holding ourselves to account against these. We will develop and report to Council and to our members on a high level set of indicators to evaluate our success and our impact. We will also measure success by carrying out and publishing research that helps us check progress against our vision for the profession and our strategic aims. Ensuring that we develop a strong performance culture, measuring what we do and the impact we make and reporting this in an open and transparent way. Developing and implementing a commercial strategy to deliver income, enabling us to invest more in our members. Developing our IT and digital strategies and our knowledge management approach to underpin our work. Being aware that we are spending our members money, and doing so as efficiently and effectively as we can. We will do this by: Building a strong financial platform for the future by developing and delivering commercial products and services, including working in partnership with others. Developing a property strategy to best utilise and maintain our existing real estate. Reviewing our corporate support services to ensure they support our strategy and business needs, delivering value for money. >11

12 > Appendices The economic contribution of the legal profession The UK legal profession has a global reputation for excellence, and makes a considerable direct contribution to the UK economy and internationally. Legal services play a crucial role in the smooth running of the economy and the attractiveness of the UK as a place to do business. In 2014, solicitors made a direct economic contribution of 23 billion or 1.4 per cent of the UK s total economic output (GVA gross added value) 1, as well as strengthening the wider business community. For every 100 jobs in the legal services sector, our profession supports 67 jobs in other areas of the economy. Every 1 of output of the UK legal services sector underpins 2.39 of output in the UK economy as a whole. London is the world s largest legal centre, home to more than 100,000 legal sector employees. The relationship between London s world-leading financial sector and its legal sector is critical to the success of the UK economy. More than 90 per cent of legal business in the UK is done in England and Wales, and around two thirds of practising solicitors are employed outside of London. In the major cities outside London, legal services account for more than 1 billion of local economic output. The legal sector boosts business confidence and makes it easier to do business in the UK. Both the sector itself, and the legal system it upholds, help companies have confidence in the rule of law and the ability of laws and regulations to create a level playing field for fair competition. In 2014, the sector: 4 billion in services exported 4 314,000 total people employed (excluding in-house solicitors) billion of contributed net positive trade in ,000 practising solicitors 3 employed 1 Source: Office for National Statistics ONS GVA by industry estimates released 30 June Source: ONS Annual Business Survey released 11 June Source: Solicitors Regulation Authority. 4 Source: ONS Input-Output Supply and Use Tables released 31 October Source: ONS Input-Output Supply and Use Tables released 31 October >12

13 The future of the legal market We know that changes to legal services and the wider external environment are continuing to impact on the solicitor profession. To help us develop our vision for the profession, and our strategy, we carried out work to identify the key drivers for change in the current landscape of legal services, and to predict based on available evidence how solicitors interests may change in the future, and the threats and opportunities arising from a changing market. We drew on available research, and brought together contributions from a wide range of people across and outside the legal services sector, through interviews, panels, round tables and site visits. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this work. Legal services in 2020 We have identified key drivers of change in the legal services market which are: Global and national economic business environments. How clients buy legal services (including in-house solicitor buyers as well as small and medium sized businesses and the public). Technology and process innovation. New entrants and types of competition. Political policy agendas around the principles of access to justice and the provision of affordable legal services. Policy agendas around the regulation of legal services. The combined impact of these forces is likely to lead to a legal profession where: The gap between successful and struggling firms widens further leading to more consolidation, and at a faster rate. The globalisation of business activities remains a key feature for the Top 200, City, and large corporate firms. For these firms, emerging players such as China will have an impact. In-house departments are providing legal support to all aspects of the business and demonstrating the value of that support. This is a break from the past when the in-house legal department was often viewed as a separate, isolated team. The expansion of in-house employer businesses on a global scale leads to a further fragmentation of legal departments. This creates its own challenges, but also helps fully integrate in-house counsel across the business. The ageing solicitor population means greater numbers of small and medium consumer market firms are likely to face problems around closure or funding run-off insurance cover. Solicitor firms in the consumer market experience the squeeze from a mix of funding cuts, process automation and cheaper volume providers, again resulting in increased consolidation. The specialisation of work continues, in attempts to carve out profitable niches. Digital change continues to pervade legal services and everyday life. Digital infrastructure will increasingly improve performance across business-to-business and business-toconsumer markets. There is a growing sophistication in the use of artificial intelligence to read contracts and other legal documents, with potential for machines to render judgment on formulaic cases. There is greater flexibility of work and employment contracts in response to the need to adapt to market volatility affecting all, from solicitors to paralegals and support teams. An hourglass shaped employment market develops, with increasing competition faced by lower skilled workers and specialists/senior staff, and the hollowing out of the middle of the workforce. The number of diverse business models increases, funded through external investment and using capital to drive innovation in service delivery. >13

14 Dealing with uncertainty and change The legal profession is experiencing fundamental change that is accelerating the need for law firms to innovate, and to reconsider their offerings and their current and potential client base. It is becoming ever more vital for all firms to employ strategic planning tools that incorporate uncertainty and complexity when considering future business. The Law Society's role The Law Society s role will be representing, promoting and supporting the profession as all of these changes take place. We will be focused on upholding professional values and ethics to protect these values and to differentiate our members during a period of change. We will also help our members prepare for and embark on change, raising awareness of innovative ways of operating. And we will build confidence and trust among both consumers and solicitors in our role as a source of help and information. How we have developed our strategy Members have directly contributed to the development of this strategy, alongside many other experts and opinion formers both within and beyond the legal profession. Members had the opportunity to take part and learn about how and why the Law Society is changing to better support the profession and achieve our vision for We began having conversations with our members in spring 2015, to seek their views on: What the future looks like for the legal sector. What good regulation should look like. The title of solicitor and its value to the profession, business and the public. What the Law Society's role should be in legal education and professional standards. How we should manage our relationships and influencing to achieve the changes our members want. How we can tailor what we do to represent, promote and support different parts of our diverse membership. We engaged members in a range of ways, from meetings across England and Wales to round tables and one-to-one interviews. We held meetings with committee, section and division chairs. And we encouraged further debate and discussion with even more members through dedicated Twitter hours, using the hashtag #lawsociety2020, and through LinkedIn and our website. Other ways we generated and brought together feedback, research and insights included: Assessing existing products and services to check how valuable and relevant they were for different groups of members. Horizon-scanning exercises with members and committee chairs. Reviewing existing research, academic literature, blogs and articles. Benchmarking against other membership bodies and identifying best practice used to support their members. Engaging with government, legal regulators and other key stakeholders. Assessing the activities of other sector regulators, particularly for legal education and standards. Discussing our public interest role. We also began more in-depth research to help develop options for the Law Society s future approach to: Protecting and promoting the solicitor brand. Training and education. Providing member benefits. Influencing and external relationships. A further round of consultation in summer 2015 saw us test our three draft strategic aims with our members, to make sure our strategy reflects their concerns and priorities. We are grateful for the breadth and depth of intelligence and insights provided by everyone involved. >14

15 > Our strategy >15

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